The computer mouse is a computer input device that was invented to control the movement of a computer's cursor, which is a marker that points to a location on a computer's monitor or display. Since its development the mouse has evolved so that it is now able to perform additional computer functions. This has been made possible through the development of both mouse and non-mouse related hardware and software, e.g., the addition of buttons, or switches, onto the mouse is a good example of hardware development, while software applications which use the input from either the right or left mouse button to perform application specific functions, such as opening or closing an application or a drop-down menu, are a good example of software development.
There are three general types of mice. First, are “mechanical” mice, which have an enclosure on their underside that houses a rubber, plastic, or metal ball. The enclosure allows the ball to move freely in all directions, and mechanical motion sensors, located in the mouseball enclosure, are used to develop a signal that corresponds to the movement of the ball, which is then sent to the computer to move the cursor on the computer display screen. Secondly, “optomechanical” mice basically function in the same way as a mechanical mouse, but use optical sensors to detect mouseball movement. Thirdly, “optical” mice do not have mechanically moving parts, instead they use a laser to detect mouse motion. Besides the types of mice, another classification associated with mice is the method used to connect the mice to a computer. There are several types of connecting methods, a few of the more common are: “serial” mice, which use a cord or wire to connect to a computer's serial port; “PS/2” mice which use a cord or wire to connect to a computer's PS/2 port; and “cordless” mice, which are not physically connected to the computer, but instead use some form of electromagnetic radiation, such as infrared or radio waves, to transmit signals to the computer.
A major shortcoming of computer mice is that they are generally positioned on a user's desk or computer workstation away from the computer keyboard. This requires the user to take a hand away from the keyboard to manipulate the mouse to be able to perform the task that the user is working on. Generally, mouse manipulation requires the user to: look at, or otherwise locate, the mouse; move an arm toward the mouse; bend, cant, and twist the fingers and wrist to grasp the mouse; move the arm and wrist to position the mouse as needed; and bend, cant, and apply pressure with the arm, wrist, and finger to activate the buttons or to perform a scrolling function. Because of this awkward movement, and the amount of movement required during a busy day at a workstation, use of the conventional mouse can cause or aggravate repetitive motion conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis, and can cause muscle pain and cramping. Furthermore, the time and effort required to transition from using the keyboard to using a conventional mouse and, possibly, the distraction caused by diverting a user's gaze away from the computer display, is very inefficient.
Several prior art devices have been developed to overcome some of these disadvantages. With respect to repetitive strain injuries, U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,047 B1, discloses a computer mouse that uses the thumb and little finger instead of the forefinger, middle finger or ring fingers to click the “mouse buttons.” According to this invention, it can prevent or eliminate some repetitive strain injuries of the arm by transferring the required muscle movements to bodily structures outside the carpal tunnel. Another example is the U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,715 B1, for an “ergonomic computer mouse.” This invention discloses a mouse that provides comfortable and efficient usage of the device by maintaining the user's hand at a large acute angle to the horizontal. Generally, both of these inventions are focused on eliminating repetitive motion problems; either caused by the unnatural twisting of the wrist to grasp and/or manipulate the mouse, and/or the detrimental stretching of some of the fingers to be able to perform the mouse button “clicking” movements. Both of these inventions, however, require the user to move an arm and wrist away from the computer keyboard to locate and grasp the disclosed mice, which may also require the user to avert his (or her) gaze from the computer display.
With respect to the movement away from the keyboard to use the mouse, some inventions have been developed to replace the conventional mouse and/or the keyboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,484, discloses a finger mounted computer input device, which maybe mounted into a fabric glove, and which uses pressure and/or acceleration sensors to develop signals, including mouse pointing, or trackball signals. To initiate the mouse-type signals the user would move his arm away from a pre-set position, and would then press down with his fingertips onto a surface and move his arm in the direction that he wanted the cursor to be repositioned to. This invention, however, does not disclose the ability to perform the mouse button functions, and it does not disclose it being able to perform the mouse/cursor positioning function with the arm and wrist in the neutral “handshake” position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,369 discloses a computer mouse glove that uses motion sensors that detect lateral wrist and/or vertical finger movement to develop a signal that can be used to reposition the computer cursor. This invention can also perform mouse click functions through the activation of switches located on various fingers. Since this invention uses motion sensors that develop a signal based on finger and/or wrist movement, this invention requires the mouse functions to be deactivated during normal typing, which is accomplished by using an on-off switch located on the glove. Furthermore, this device is apparently not able to conveniently function with the arm, wrist, and hand, in the neutral “handshake” position, but it does disclose that it can use the forefinger alone for cursor positioning. U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,199, discloses a glove-like article that carries a tracking ball on the side of the index finger for manipulation by the user's thumb, and mouse buttons located on the palm of the glove-like article, which are manipulated by a user's fingers. These previous three inventions, however, still require the use of a user's fingers to either position the cursor or to operate the mouse buttons, which may cause or aggravate repetitive strain injuries.
Therefore, with this stated, there still remains a need for a more efficient and effective way to provide computer mouse functions while limiting the repetitive strain that may cause or aggravate certain repetitive motion conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, or muscle pain and cramping.